Alternate Ending to Hapily Ever After
by charlieNo2
Summary: title pretty self explanatory... a 'what if' story continuing from 'happily ever after'... if someone has a better title please r&r... rated t just in case... i'm not sure how much is considered 'adult themes'... also my 1st attempt at a fan fic pls r
1. Chapter 1

**disclaimer: **for this and future chapters of this story i do not own any of these characters sigh

Chapter 1

Elizabeth and Laurent walked hand in hand across the lawn. Elizabeth's mind raced almost as fast as her heart was beating. She knew Laurent wanted an answer but she wasn't sure what it would be. She was torn in two, on one hand she loved Laurent with all her heart and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life by his side but on the other hand she had an entire life back in Sweet Valley, her friends, her family… and Todd. She shook herself mentally at that thought. Todd had made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be with her anymore and she knew that he shouldn't figure in her decision. If she was completely honest with herself she knew she and Todd didn't really belong together, not if she could feel this way about another guy. And that other guy was standing next to her wanting nothing more than to be with her for the rest of their lives.

"Earth to Elizabeth," Laurent whispered in her ear, running his hand along her back.

"Hmmm?" Elizabeth replied, turning to face her prince.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked gazing searchingly into her eyes. Elizabeth stalled; she wasn't ready to give him an answer just yet. She cast around for a different answer.

"You," she finally replied, looking lovingly into those dark blue eyes. It wasn't exactly a lie. Laurent broke into a smile and kissed her passionately. Elizabeth felt her doubts melt away as Laurent's kiss warmed her heart and body. They broke apart and Laurent held her at arms length to look at her.

"You weren't telling the whole truth just then were you?" he smiled knowingly. Elizabeth felt a rush of pleasure, Laurent knew her so well already, almost as well as Jessica. She knew she wouldn't be able to lie to him this time.

"No," she admitted looking away from him. Laurent sat down on the grass underneath an old Oak tree and pulled her down with him.

"Elizabeth," he began taking her hand, "I realise that my proposal has given you a lot to think about and I don't want to rush you into any decision. If you need more time just tell me, I'll wait for as long as it takes." Elizabeth felt a rush of gratitude towards Laurent. He could read her like a book and knew exactly what to say to make her feel better.

"Thankyou Laurent. There's only one thing stopping me from saying yes to you right now."

"And what would that be my love?" he murmured pulling her into his arms.

"Sweet Valley," she replied, sinking against his chest, "My family, my friends and…"

"Todd," he finished her sentence. Elizabeth sat up and turned to look at him.

"How do you know about Todd?" she asked, her surprise evident in her voice.

"I saw his letter in your mail," he said simply. Elizabeth's expression of surprise turned to one of confusion.

"His letter? I never got a letter from him, not here," then a look of understanding passed over her face, "Jessica."

"What does your sister have to do with this?" Laurent asked confused, trying to pull her back into his arms. Elizabeth resisted and stood up, a grim look on her face.

"Excuse me Laurent, I have to go interrogate my sister." With that she turned and walked quickly across the lawn towards the Chateau. Laurent sighed and sat back.

"I hope this doesn't change anything," he said to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Jessica finished drying her hair and put the towel back on the towel rack. She looked herself over in the mirror and smiled. Jacques might be gone from the Chateau but there was no harm in hoping she might see him before she left, and she felt lucky today. She turned the fan off and walked into her room to see her sister staring at her with a livid expression.

"What did you do with that letter Jessica?" Elizabeth asked furiously. Jess stared back at her sister confusedly.

"What letter?"

"The one from Todd. Laurent told me that he saw a letter from Todd in our mail here. I know I never got a letter from him while I've been here." A memory stirred in Jessica's mind, throwing an envelope into the fireplace, an envelope addressed to Liz.

"From Todd?" Jess asked quietly.

"Yes from Todd, what did you do with it?"

"The fireplace…" Elizabeth stared at her sister in shock.

"You didn't," Jess nodded mutely, "Jess how could you?"

"You… Laurent… you were so happy. He would have ruined it, just like he always does."

"That didn't give you the right to burn my mail." Elizabeth turned around and stormed out of her sister's room. Jess sank onto her bed, feeling that her luck had just run out.

Laurent looked everywhere for Elizabeth. She wasn't in her room, she wasn't in her sister's room, she wasn't in the nursery, she wasn't in the library; he couldn't find her anywhere. Finally he gave up and made his way to the cottage.

"Laurent!" he heard her voice call to him as he crossed the great lawn. He turned around to see her hurrying towards him. As she got closer he could see tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong Elizabeth?" he asked worriedly.

"Can we go to the cottage? I need to calm down." He nodded and put his arm around her shoulders to lead her to his home.

In the cottage Elizabeth and Laurent sat down in front of the fire in his study.

"So what happened?" he asked handing her his handkerchief as he had done so many times before.

"Jess burnt Todd's letter. So now I don't know what to do," she looked up from her lap to see Laurent's face change from hopeful to pained. Elizabeth felt horrible; she knew that her last sentence had come out all wrong. She stood up and walked over to him, "This doesn't change the way I feel about you," she said sitting on his lap, "But I need to sort out Todd and I before I can move on with you." Laurent looked at her with love in his eyes.

"What time would it be in America?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

Elizabeth's heart pounded as the phone rang. She couldn't believe she'd let Laurent talk her into this. What if Todd wasn't home? What if he'd written her a letter because he didn't want to talk to her? Finally the phone stopped ringing and Todd's voice came down the line.

"Hello?"

"Hello Todd? It's Elizabeth." There was silence on the other end for a minute then Todd's voice came back strained,

"Elizabeth. Hi, um… how are you?"

"I'm alright. How has your summer been?"

"Not too bad. I assume you've been rather busy."

"Well I guess you could say that." An awkward silence again then Todd's voice broke it.

"Did you get my letter?"

"Actually that's what I'm calling about. You see, I only just found out about it. I'm afraid Jess got to it before I could and she burnt it."

"Oh."

"I was just wondering what it was about."

"Well I… I just wanted to say I was sorry for hurting you. I know I was horrible that last night at Lila's. I should have handled it differently but I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say without hurting you. I still want to be friends with you Liz."

"I'm glad of that Todd. I want to be friends with you too and I forgive you for hurting me. I know it probably wasn't an easy thing to do."

"You're right there," Todd said, his voice becoming friendlier now that the ice was broken, "So anyway, how has your summer been? How are the kids?"

"Oh they're great. They're so gorgeous, even Jessica enjoys baby-sitting them. They're so cute when they try to speak English, Pierre's very good."

"They must be cute if Jessica enjoys looking after them. How are you finding it living with the Royal Family?"

"It's not too bad. The Countess and her daughter have gone back to Italy thank goodness. The Prince and Princess have been really welcoming," Liz said, conveniently forgetting the fact that they locked her and Jessica up for stealing the Countess' jewellery, "Well Todd, I should go. I'm using Laurent's phone."

"Who's Laurent?" Todd asked in a friendly yet probing voice.

"Haha, not jealous are you?" Liz laughed, "I'll tell you when I get back home. We'll be back in a week or so."

"Alright. See you then."

"Say hi to everyone for me. See you when I get home." Elizabeth hung up and called out to Laurent.

"So what did he say?" Laurent asked apprehensively, sitting in his chair in front of the fire. Elizabeth felt as light as a feather now that everything with Todd had been sorted out and sat down on Laurent's lap, running her hand through his hair.

"He wanted to say he was sorry for hurting me. He said he still wants to be friends." Laurent broke into a smile.

"So does that mean there's nothing stopping you from saying yes?" Liz trailed a finger down the side of his face then kissed him with as much passion as she could. As they pulled apart she whispered quietly,

"Yes"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Really?" Laurent breathed, hardly daring to believe he'd heard what he thought he'd just heard.

"Yes. Nothing would make me happier than to marry you, Prince Laurent de Sainte-Marie." He looked up at her with wonder in his eyes.

"Elizabeth, you have just made me the happiest man in the universe," he whispered pulling her towards him. He placed a soft kiss on her lips just as his father walked in.

"Laurent?" the older Prince asked as he opened the door. A movement caught his eye over near the fire and he saw his son and one of the American au pairs sharing a kiss. He smiled, he had told Laurent to follow his heart like he wanted to, and hopefully everything had turned out well for his son. At least it looked that way.

"Laurent?" he asked again, a little louder this time. The couple pulled apart and turned to him. "Excuse me mademoiselle," he smiled, "but I'm afraid I will have to steal my son away from you for just a moment." The girl blushed and smiled; standing up so that his son could get out of the chair he was sitting in. Smiling like the schoolboy he really was, Laurent looked at his beautiful American and walked over to his father.

"Yes father?" Laurent asked. The prince looked at Elizabeth who was standing facing the fire and asked,

"Everything went well I trust?" he asked in French

"Yes. Elizabeth said yes."

"Good," the Prince smiled, "Your stepmother would like to meet the girl you were willing to risk everything for. And you and I have some things to discuss. When you have finished here would you both come up to the Chateau for dinner? Tell your Elizabeth that her sister has agreed to look after the children this evening."

"Yes father I will." Laurent went to turn away but his father placed a hand on his shoulder,

"And Laurent," he said, "Don't rush her into anything. She is only 16."

She is only 16. The words echoed around Laurent's mind as he walked away from his father and over to his fiancée. In the tumult of emotions he'd been feeling over the past few weeks, he'd forgotten that his Elizabeth was only a teenager. She seemed so much older, so much more mature. She probably wasn't even out of school yet. He steeled himself as she turned from the fire to face him. He'd told her he would wait for as long as necessary and he would stand by that promise. It would be up to her.

"What did your father want?" she asked quietly looking up at him.

"My father and stepmother would like for you to join them for dinner tonight. They want to meet you." Elizabeth paled at the thought of dining with the older members of the royal family.

"What about the children," she asked, "It's my turn to look after them tonight."

"Jessica has promised to take your shift tonight. Don't worry, you won't be alone, I'll be there as well." Elizabeth smiled, reassured at the thought of Laurent being with her. Laurent took her hands in his, "We need to talk my love."

"What about?" she asked, looking up at him. Laurent took a deep breath. He knew she wanted to marry him but he wasn't sure whether this reminder of her youth would change her mind.

"You haven't finished school yet have you?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"No I haven't yet," Elizabeth replied. She couldn't understand why Laurent was asking this. Maybe he thought that they were to young… or that she was too young, "Why do you ask?" Laurent hesitated for a moment before answering.

"If I know you as well as I think I do, you will want to finish your schooling before you get married." Elizabeth thought for a moment.

"Yes I would like that. But there's no reason why we can't get married while I'm still at school." Laurent smiled and relaxed.

"No Liz. I don't want you to be distracted while you finish your studies." Elizabeth smiled.

"That's the first time you've called me Liz," she said, reaching up and brushing back a strand of his hair.

"Don't you like it?" he whispered kissing her forehead. Elizabeth put her arms around his neck the way Antonia had when they were engaged, but it didn't annoy him the way it had then.

"I love it," she murmured looking up at him with her blue-green eyes. Unable to resist, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her then picked her up and spun around. Elizabeth's eyes lit up with laughter as she giggled at her fiancée's antics. Her blonde hair swung around behind her as he set her back down on the ground, the fire behind her adding to her radiant glow of happiness.

"You look like an angel," Laurent smiled, running his hand through her silky hair.

"Should I go get ready for dinner?" she asked, glancing at her watch. Laurent checked the clock above the fireplace.

"I suppose you should. I will come and collect you for dinner and we'll go together," he said, reluctantly letting her go.

"I'll see you soon," she said, kissing Laurent lightly on the lips and leaving the cottage.

Elizabeth raced across the lawn, feeling too happy to care if she looked like a fool. Laurent was such an understanding person. She'd totally forgotten about school after she spoke to Todd, all she could think about was Laurent and how good it would feel to be with him forever. At least he understood her well enough to know that she would want to finish school before they got married. And a long engagement would give them time to get to know each other even better than they already did. Humming happily to herself she entered the Chateau and made her way up to the servants quarters to get ready for dinner. She had a quick shower and went back into her room. Standing in front of her wardrobe she tried to decide what to wear. She hadn't really been expecting to dine with the Prince and Princess when she packed to come over and she really only had clothes for her job and the clothes she'd brought for the ball. Sighing she turned to the clothes Jessica had put in her wardrobe. It was a good thing they were the same size, she thought as she pulled out a black evening dress and held it against her. She knew Jess wouldn't mind if she borrowed a dress, and even if she did she wouldn't say anything because of the letter. Elizabeth had a feeling the only reason Jessica was voluntarily doing baby-sitting duty was because she felt guilty about burning Todd's letter. Elizabeth slipped the dress over her head and checked herself in the mirror. The dress fit well, it wasn't skintight but it wasn't frumpy either (although Elizabeth doubted anything Jessica owned could be considered 'frumpy'). Walking across to the dresser she looked through the jewellery she'd brought with her. Finally she decided on the diamond earrings her grandmother had given her and a bracelet Todd had given her. She looked at the bracelet with a smile on her face. She and Todd might be over as a couple but they would always be friends, no matter what. She ran a brush through her hair and decided to leave it down, she knew Laurent liked it when she had her hair down. She brushed some mascara over her eyelashes and put a coat of lip-gloss on. Checking herself in the mirror she smiled; elegant but casual, just the look she wanted. She checked her watch and saw that it was only 6:30. She went to her desk and sat down, pulling her journal towards her. She had enough time to write about her amazing day


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5**

"No I haven't yet," Elizabeth replied. She couldn't understand why Laurent was asking this. Maybe he thought that they were to young… or that she was too young, "Why do you ask?" Laurent hesitated for a moment before answering.

"If I know you as well as I think I do, you will want to finish your schooling before you get married." Elizabeth thought for a moment.

"Yes I would like that. But there's no reason why we can't get married while I'm still at school." Laurent smiled and relaxed.

"No Liz. I don't want you to be distracted while you finish your studies." Elizabeth smiled.

"That's the first time you've called me Liz," she said, reaching up and brushing back a strand of his hair.

"Don't you like it?" he whispered kissing her forehead. Elizabeth put her arms around his neck the way Antonia had when they were engaged, but it didn't annoy him the way it had then.

"I love it," she murmured looking up at him with her blue-green eyes. Unable to resist, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her then picked her up and spun around. Elizabeth's eyes lit up with laughter as she giggled at her fiancée's antics. Her blonde hair swung around behind her as he set her back down on the ground, the fire behind her adding to her radiant glow of happiness.

"You look like an angel," Laurent smiled, running his hand through her silky hair.

"Should I go get ready for dinner?" she asked, glancing at her watch. Laurent checked the clock above the fireplace.

"I suppose you should. I will come and collect you for dinner and we'll go together," he said, reluctantly letting her go.

"I'll see you soon," she said, kissing Laurent lightly on the lips and leaving the cottage.

Elizabeth raced across the lawn, feeling too happy to care if she looked like a fool. Laurent was such an understanding person. She'd totally forgotten about school after she spoke to Todd, all she could think about was Laurent and how good it would feel to be with him forever. At least he understood her well enough to know that she would want to finish school before they got married. And a long engagement would give them time to get to know each other even better than they already did. Humming happily to herself she entered the Chateau and made her way up to the servants quarters to get ready for dinner. She had a quick shower and went back into her room. Standing in front of her wardrobe she tried to decide what to wear. She hadn't really been expecting to dine with the Prince and Princess when she packed to come over and she really only had clothes for her job and the clothes she'd brought for the ball. Sighing she turned to the clothes Jessica had put in her wardrobe. It was a good thing they were the same size, she thought as she pulled out a black evening dress and held it against her. She knew Jess wouldn't mind if she borrowed a dress, and even if she did she wouldn't say anything because of the letter. Elizabeth had a feeling the only reason Jessica was voluntarily doing baby-sitting duty was because she felt guilty about burning Todd's letter. Elizabeth slipped the dress over her head and checked herself in the mirror. The dress fit well, it wasn't skintight but it wasn't frumpy either (although Elizabeth doubted anything Jessica owned could be considered 'frumpy'). Walking across to the dresser she looked through the jewellery she'd brought with her. Finally she decided on the diamond earrings her grandmother had given her and a bracelet Todd had given her. She looked at the bracelet with a smile on her face. She and Todd might be over as a couple but they would always be friends, no matter what. She ran a brush through her hair and decided to leave it down, she knew Laurent liked it when she had her hair down. She brushed some mascara over her eyelashes and put a coat of lip-gloss on. Checking herself in the mirror she smiled; elegant but casual, just the look she wanted. She checked her watch and saw that it was only 6:30. She went to her desk and sat down, pulling her journal towards her. She had enough time to write about her amazing day


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Elizabeth's heart raced wildly as she followed the Prince and Princess into the dining room. At least they were friendly; not that they had been unpleasant before, just rather aloof. Nicholas pulled a chair out for his wife and Laurent did the same for her, then once the ladies were seated the two Princes took their own seats. Elizabeth was amazed at how gentlemanly Laurent and his father were. Todd had always been polite, always opened the car door for her when they were going somewhere, but Laurent and his father were something else entirely. She looked around the dining room drinking in all the details. The walls were painted a pale blue colour with white skirting boards and ceiling. The floors were polished floorboards with an expensive Persian rug protecting the wood from the legs of the antique oak table and matching chairs. In the corners of the room, potted plants flourished, contrasting beautifully with the blue walls and adding a feeling of freshness and life. On the wall opposite the door a marble fireplace played host to a roaring fire and a vase of blood red roses sat on the mantelpiece. To the right of the fireplace was another door, which Elizabeth assumed led to the kitchen; an assumption proved correct by the entrance through it of a group of servants carrying the entrees. They placed the steaming bowls of bouillabaisse in front of the four at the table then another servant appeared carrying two bottles of wine. The servant uncorked one of the bottles and poured a small amount into a glass. Nicholas took the glass, swirled it around for a moment, smelt it then took a sip.

"That will do, thankyou Jean," Nicholas said in French placing the glass on the table in from of him. The servant, Jean, placed the uncorked bottle in the cooler beside the table and exited quietly through the kitchen door. Nicholas poured a glass of wine for his wife then passed the bottle to Laurent.

"Would you like some Elizabeth?" Laurent asked indicating her glass. Elizabeth hesitated.

"I'm not really allowed to. I'm underage," she said.

"Not here," Catherine said smiling, "The legal age here in France is 14." Elizabeth still hesitated.

"Just try a little," Laurent implored, "If you don't like it we can get you something else." Elizabeth relented and passed her glass to Laurent to fill. He filled the glass a fifth of the way then passed it back to Elizabeth.

"Tell me if you like it," he said as she took the glass from him. Elizabeth took a sip and tasted it, letting the wine roll over her tastebuds. It was actually quite nice; it didn't taste alcoholic like many of the wines she'd tried before, simply a nice flavour.

"I like it," she said, passing the glass back to Laurent so that he could fill the rest of it. He passed the full glass back to her and Nicholas said,

"Well let's start before the food gets cold."

"So Elizabeth," Catherine said as the dishes from the entrée were cleared away, "Tell us about yourself. We don't know much about you since it was your sister who applied for the au pair position." Elizabeth sipped her wine thoughtfully for a moment.

"Well you already know I'm at high school in America. I'm only 16 so I have another two years before I finish. I'm sort of more involved in the academic side of school, I write for the school newspaper, I get good grades in all of my subjects. I'm friends with most of the people in my grade although I've only got a few really close friends." She stopped as the main course was served.

"So what sort of things do you like?" Nicholas asked as soon as the servants had left.

"I love reading, and writing. Jessica thinks I'm boring but I'm comfortable with the way I am. And I love learning new things; one reason I agreed to come with Jessica was because I wanted to perfect my French and I thought it would be nice to experience another culture."

"Well it sounds like you'll love the experiences that will be coming your way in the future," Catherine said, "Believe me, there's a lot to learn." Elizabeth pulled a face as she chewed a mouthful of food.

"I expected that. Although I was nervous enough thinking about going to the ball."

"Well don't worry," Nicholas said putting down his fork, "Laurent told me you weren't planning on getting married until after you finish school."

"That's right. Laurent didn't want me getting distracted while I finish my studies."

"That's a very wise decision," Catherine said, "You can never place too much importance on your studies. Something I've been trying very hard to impress on my children."

"Well they are only little," Laurent interjected, "They have plenty of time yet."

"As do you Elizabeth," Nicholas said seriously, "I don't want you to feel pressured about this. When you feel ready to take on the responsibility then tell us."

**A/N** - well how'veI done so far? I'm hoping to take extension english next year which is pretty much lessons for creative writing for the whole year (YAY). please review... I don't like letting people I know read my writing so this is the only feedback I get. Ta darlings!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N - yes i know annoying authors note. first off thanks to aznbeez for reviewing, the only one i recieved i might add looks expectantly at other people. also sorry this story is taking ages to write, i get bursts of creativity and then nothing for ages and also i'm about to finish my second last year of high school (scary) which means that all my teachers keep giving me assignments (like they didn't know this was coming up for the last three terms). so i want to apologise in advance before anyone decides to whinge that i'm taking forever (i've read other authors notes that say something along those lines)... i am trying but life keeps getting in the way. anyway, i'm not sure whether this is any goodbut i thought i might as well post it so try to enjoy...**

**Chapter 8**

The Prince, Princess, Elizabeth and Laurent talked long into the night. After dinner they moved back into the Princess' sitting room where Laurent and the Prince went off on their own to talk about something neither the Princess nor Elizabeth were really fussed about knowing. By the end of the evening, Elizabeth felt quite comfortable talking to her future in-laws, and she was sure she'd made the right decision. Now the only thing left to do was tell her parents.

At about 12 o'clock Elizabeth began to yawn and Laurent realised how much the excitement of the day had tired him out.

"You two look tired," Catherine smiled noting the yawn that Elizabeth had tried to stifle.

"Why don't you go and get some sleep?" Nicholas said, "I believe you have first shift with the children in the morning Elizabeth so you'll need your energy." Elizabeth smiled at the thought of the three children. With their boundless energy they were always a handful but tomorrow she felt she would be able to handle anything. But she did feel rather tired.

"I think I will," she said standing up, "Thankyou very much for dinner, it was lovely."

"That's quite alright dear," Catherine said, also standing, "I certainly enjoyed your company. You're a very interesting young woman." Elizabeth blushed at the compliment.

"Yes we'll have to have dinner again before you and your sister leave us," Nicholas said walking over to Elizabeth, "Well goodnight," he said, kissing her on the cheeks.

"Goodnight Nicholas, goodnight Catherine," Elizabeth said kissing the Princess on the cheeks. Laurent stood up.

"I'll walk you to your room," he said, "I'll come back down to talk to you father." He opened the door for Elizabeth and they made their way up to the servants' quarters.

At Elizabeth's door Laurent turned to his fiancée.

"Well did you really have a good time?" he asked, looking lovingly at her.

"Yes I did," she replied smiling.

"That's good." He pulled her into his arms and planted a kiss on her head. She tightened her arms around him for a moment then pulled away.

"I need to go to bed. Today has been absolutely exhausting."

"Alright," he said, pushing a strand of her blonde hair back in place behind her ear. He lifted her chin and kissed her softly before whispering, "I will see you in the morning ma cher."

"See you in the morning," she whispered back then turned and walked into her room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Oh Liz I can't believe we're going home!" Jessica cried as she watched her sister pack her bag.

"Hmmm," Elizabeth mumbled distractedly, laying her t-shirts in her suitcase. Finally she zipped up the suitcase and took it to the door. She turned and looked around the room, "I haven't left anything have I?"

"Does it really matter Liz? If you have it just gives you and excuse to come back over, or," Jess giggled and raised her eyebrows suggestively, "Laurent an excuse to come to America." Liz blushed and smiled.

"Jess!"

"Lizzy you've been head over heels in love with that guy since you laid eyes on him. It's obvious that you would want him to come to Sweet Valley considering you're _engaged_ to him."

"I still can't believe that. It's like something out of a fairytale."

"Well you'd better start believing it sister. Anyway you might wanna go say goodbye to Prince Charming now before we have to leave. I don't want the children to have to see any nauseating displays of affection when we say goodbye to the family."

"Alright, alright I'm going. Can you make sure my stuff goes down?"

"Yes yes now go already, we only have an hour before we have to leave."

Elizabeth pushed open the door to the cottage.

"Laurent?" she called out, "Are you in here?"

"I'm in here ma cher," came his voice from the study. Elizabeth closed the door behind her and heading into the study. When she entered Laurent had his back to her, facing the fireplace. When he heard the door click he turned around.

"Good morning Elizabeth," he said quietly with a small smile. Elizabeth walked over and threw her arms around him. Laurent sighed and laid his head on hers, holding her close and breathing in her scent of lavender and roses. Finally Elizabeth pulled away and looked up at her prince. She noticed that his eyes were slightly red and puffy.

"What's wrong Laurent?" she asked worriedly, "You've been crying."

"Nothing is wrong ma cher. I just wish you didn't have to leave today that is all." Elizabeth smiled.

"You're so sweet Laurent. I don't know what I did to deserve you." She reached up and ran her fingers through his dark hair.

"I must have been a saint in another life to deserve you mademoiselle Elizabeth," he smiled, leaning down and kissing her.

-----

"Goodbye Mademoiselle Jessica, goodbye Mademoiselle Elizabeth," Pierre stood by the door of the Chateau with his two little sisters, waving goodbye to the au pairs that had looked after them that summer. Little Manon sniffled loudly as the car drove over the bridge.

"Well my little ones, did you have a nice time with the American girls?" Princess Catherine asked her children, picking up Manon and putting her on her hip.

"Oui mamman," Claudine replied. Laurent smiled and picked Claudine up. Now was definitely the right time to tell his brother and sisters.

"Well, how would you like it if mademoiselle Elizabeth was your sister?" he asked in French. Claudine looked at him puzzled for a moment.

"How could mademoiselle Elizabeth be my sister?" she asked.

"Laurent is getting married to mademoiselle Elizabeth!" Pierre cried excitedly, jumping up and down. Claudine frowned in thought for a moment before looking at Laurent and beaming at him.

"She will be a princess like mamman and Manon and me."

"Oui Claudine, she will be a beautiful princess just like you."

------

**A/N** - hey dudes, sorry about this but i'm gonna be off with the fairies (somewhere in fairyland - sorry my best friend always asks me that) for a while... stupid teachers giving us fifty billion assignments due on the same week... plus all these non-assessable tasks that they expect us to do overnight... well that's my rant for a while anyway i'm only halfway through the next chapter but it's gonna be a long one... hopefully i'll be finished it by the holidays... fingers crossed. oh and ta to the second person who reviewed (sorry i can't remember your name)... i also hated the fact that she said no because of Todd... particularly since they ended up breaking up again... which is why i started writing this story (plus the fact that i needed an outlet for my creative energy). well bye byes


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N -** well sorry this took so long to post... it's been sitting on my computer for weeks but i haven't had time to transfer it to the computer that's connected to the net. I'm halfway through my exams now so another week and then i'm free to write... well for at leasttwo weeks then year 12 (the Australianequivalent of senior year... well in NSW anyway). scaryness. anyway enough rambling...

**-------**

**Chapter 10**

Elizabeth flopped down on her bed, grateful to finally be home. She smiled as she thought of Laurent and the sweet thoughtful things he'd done throughout their relationship. It was still strange to her to think of him as her fiancée. Which reminded her that she needed to talk to her parents. She and Laurent had agreed before she left that they wouldn't make the engagement official until she had spoken to her parents and they had given their consent. As she pondered how best to bring the subject up with her parents, Mrs. Wakefield walked into her daughter's room.

"How are you feeling Liz?" she asked, sitting down on the end of Elizabeth's bed, "Are you tired?"

"Not particularly," Elizabeth shook her head, still wondering how to broach the subject of Laurent's proposal.

"Well then how about a chat?" Mrs Wakefield asked, "How did you find looking after the children?" Elizabeth laughed at the thought of Manon, Claudine and Pierre.

"They were so sweet. At the ball they knew I couldn't dance with Laurent because he was with Antonia so they got him out of there so we could be together." She smiled at the memory of that night, despite the other memories of being thrown in the dungeon and chased by vicious guard dogs.

"Laurent?" Alice Wakefield said smilingly, "Who is this Laurent person?" Elizabeth started, realising that her mother didn't even know who Laurent was.

"Ummm… well, there's something I have to tell you about that. Laurent is… well he's the crown prince and he proposed to me."

"What did you say?" Mrs Wakefield asked disbelievingly.

"He's the crown prince and he has asked me to marry him." With that Elizabeth told her mother the entire story of her summer with the royal family.

Alice Wakefield sat very still listening to her daughter's story. She was having a difficult time accepting it; it seemed too much like something out of a fairytale storybook.

"And then he told his parents that he wouldn't marry Antonia because he hated her and loved me. Then the Countess went crazy and convinced me to run away but he stopped me and proposed to me. I know it all sounds like some fairytale but it's the honest to God truth."

"I know you wouldn't make something like this up Lizzy," Mrs Wakefield said calmly, "What was your answer?" Elizabeth steadied herself and said,

"Yes." Mrs Wakefield looked at her daughter steadily.

"Have you thought about all the implications this will have for your life? You know you will never be able to have the career and private life you wanted. You will constantly be in the public eye. You will have to deal with people like the Countess and Antonia constantly. Not to mention what's going to happen once this gets out. I assume you don't want to finish school now." Elizabeth looked taken aback.

"Finish school? Of course I want to finish school. Laurent and I talked all this over when I accepted him. I'm going to finish school and then we'll get married and I'll be learning so much once we're married I won't really need to go to University."

"But what about once this gets out to the media? You're going to be constantly under the microscope, even while you're at school. You'll never get a moment's peace."

"Mom, I know what I'm getting into. I've seen what Laurent has to put up with, and I'm willing to put up with it as well. I know it's going to be difficult, but nothing worth having is easy. But are you ok with it? I know I'm still young but I really feel that this is what I'm meant to do with my life."

"Darling as long as it makes you happy I'm all for it. I just wanted to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

"Thanks Mom. I know you'll love Laurent when you meet him."

"Well I suppose we should go talk to your father."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Hey Liz!" Maria called, waving at her friend. Liz turned and waved back then waited for her friend to catch up.

"Hey Maria," Liz said as they started walking towards the school together, "How was your summer?"

"Not bad, a lot of swimming and laying on the beach but other than that, not much," Maria replied as they entered the building. Students milled about and everywhere there were cries of 'hello' and friends catching up after the long summer break.

"Sounds good," Liz said as they passed a group of scared looking freshman girls, "We didn't get much time to ourselves."

"So how was your au pair job? Did you get stuck doing all the work while Jess flitted about with some strange French guy?" Liz smiled at that, in fact it had often been the opposite way around during their stay in France, "Did you see much of the scandal that went on while you were over there?"

"You mean the Countess and her jewels?" Elizabeth asked, having a fairly good idea that her friend wasn't alluding to the Countess' hysterics.

"Nah, the Prince. He announced his engagement to some noble girl from Italy then broke it off and proposed to some other girl but no one knows who she is or what she said." Elizabeth paused for a moment, trying to think how best to answer her friend's question. Finally she said quietly,

"It's a bit hard not to see it when you're directly involved." Maria stopped and stared at her friend.

"What did you say?" she screeched. Other students turned to see what all the commotion was about.

"Calm down and come in here," Liz said, pulling Maria into an empty classroom, "Sit down and I'll explain everything. We have enough time."

"What did you mean by directly involved? The mystery girl wasn't Jessica was it?" Maria asked sceptically, "Because I doubt she'd have the maturity to even consider marrying someone." Liz laughed and sat down next to her friend.

"No, Laurent didn't propose to Jess, he proposed to me." Maria's eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped in shock.

"What? How on earth did that happen? You only broke up with Todd the night before you left." Elizabeth had expected such a reaction from her friends. After all, wasn't she normally the grounded, sane twin?

"I know Todd and I only broke up a couple of months ago," she began, "But the way I feel about Laurent and the way he feels about me… well it's totally different. I loved Todd, I wasn't 'in love' with him."

"But… how could he propose to you after only knowing you for like… a month?"

"I don't know, it just felt like the right thing to do. And somehow I know that we were made for each other and we're going to stay together for the rest of our lives. I just can't wait to finish high school so we can get married."

"What? You actually accepted him? Are you sure you're not Jessica trying to trick me?" Liz laughed again; this was getting too much like the end of Pride and Prejudice.

"Yes I accepted him, although he doesn't know that we can make it official now. I only told my parents last night."

"Woah this is happening so fast. How the hell did all this happen?" Liz smiled and told Maria the whole story of her summer in France. As she finished Maria's expression changed from disbelief to happiness.

"Well I'm glad you're not completely rushing into things. And you seem to be happy so I guess I should be happy for you."

"I am happy, I'm so glad everything worked out in the end. But promise me one thing, you won't tell anyone until I've told Todd? I think he has a right to know and I'd rather he heard it from me."

"I promise."

Jess skipped from her English class down to the cafeteria. It had been a great day, she had a pretty good timetable this year and everything so far was going right. And Elizabeth was going to marry Laurent, not boring-as-cold-toast Todd Wilkins. Jess smiled as she entered the bustling cafeteria and scouted around for her friends. Spotting Lila and some others on the far side of the room Jessica threaded her way though the crowd to join them.

"Hey everyone," she cried throwing her bag underneath the table and sitting down.

"Hey Jess," Lila said unenthusiastically, "Why are you so chirpy today of all days?"

"A lot of reasons, France for one thing."

"So what was so good about France? Meet any hot guys?"

"Well there was one guy, but that's not really what's made me so happy."

"What then?" Jess looked around the table.

"Can you guys keep a secret?" The rest of the group nodded and leant forwards to hear what Jessica had to say,

"Elizabeth is getting married to the Prince." Everyone looked suitably shocked and Jess smiled.

"Are you serious? Elizabeth… as in your twin sister Elizabeth… is getting married to Prince Laurent de Sainte Marie?" Lila squealed.

"Yep, that's right," Jess replied, enjoying the look of mingled horror and amusement on Lila's face. Just then however, Jess heard a clatter of cutlery and plastic behind her. She turned around to find Liz's ex-boyfriend, Todd Wilkins, standing behind her with the looked of a stunned mullet on his face.

"Liz… married?… I've got to talk to her," was all he could manage to choke out before he turned and ran out of the cafeteria in search of Liz. Jess turned back to her table of friends.

"Uh oh, I've really put my foot in it now."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Elizabeth shut her locker and started walking down the corridor humming quietly to herself. She knew she'd have to talk to Todd some time soon but she was putting it off for as long as possible.

"Liz!" she heard someone calling her from the other end of the hallway. Turning she saw Todd himself running towards her, causing other students to scatter in order to avoid a collision. Elizabeth sighed, this was it.

"Hey Todd, how've you been?"

"Liz we have to talk," Todd panted, slightly out of breath from his sprint from the cafeteria. Liz looked at her shoes.

"So you've heard?"

"Can we talk?"

"Alright, let's go outside." Elizabeth and Todd walked down the corridor and out of the school building and sat underneath one of the big trees lining the pathway.

"Is it true?" Todd asked as soon as they sat down, "Is it true that you're getting married?"

"Yes it's true. I'd hoped to tell you before you found out from someone else. I don't want you to think this is some sort of rebound thing."

"Liz are you serious about this? We only broke up a little while ago, you're only 16 and you're thinking about getting married. Who is this guy anyway?" Elizabeth felt her patience starting to wear a little thin.

"Todd, I know it's quite soon after we broke up, you don't have to remind me. Like I said before, this is not just some rebound thing, I'm seriously in love with Laurent. I also know my own age, and I realise that it seems to be a bit young to be contemplating marriage but there is no doubt in my mind that this is what my future is so there's no point delaying it. And we're not getting married until after graduation anyway." Todd looked helplessly at Elizabeth as if trying to search for something to convince her to change her mind.

"Liz…" he began, obviously still searching for an argument.

"Todd, there's nothing you can say that will change my mind. This is something that I want to do and it's not really anything to do with you or anyone other than Laurent and I." Todd looked at the ground defeated.

"Well if you're serious about this then all I can say is I hope you're making the right choice," he said, looking at Elizabeth, "I care about you Liz, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Trust me Todd, Laurent is the last person on earth who would ever do anything to hurt me."

"I hope you're right."

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**A/N** - well that's it so far. i can't figure out where to go from here... i don't want to go over everything that happens until they get married but it'll probably sound a bit stupid if i just skip to graduation or something. if anyone has any ideas pls review or send me an e-mail at ta darlings.

charlie


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